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“I can never forget my mother’s very brief paraphrase of Malachi 3: 10…Her paraphrase was this: ‘Give all He asks, take all He promises.’”

S. D. Gordon

“The ability of God is beyond our prayers, beyond our largest prayers! I have been thinking of some of the petitions that have entered into my supplication innumerable times. What have I asked for! I have asked for a cupful, and the ocean remains! I have asked for a sunbeam, and the sun abides! My best asking falls immeasurably short of my Father’s giving; it is beyond what we can ask.”

J. H. Jowett

“Now to Him who, by the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams.”

Ephesians 3:20
Amplified Bible

Today’s Study Text:

“Then Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”

Daniel 6:3
Amplified Bible

EXPLORATION:

“Earthly Power Versus Heavenly Purpose” Part 19

“Walking In The Will Of God”

“Let me no more from out Thy presence go. But keep me waiting watchful for Thy will – even while I do it, waiting watchful still.”

George MacDonaldDiary Of An Old Soul
1880

What would I like others to say about the way I reflect the Spirit of my heavenly Father?

“If we set our paths to pursue God’s will, even amid our muddling failures, the Lord can somehow bring about a net gain of profit, perception, and understanding.”

Jack HayfordPursuing The Will Of God

INSPIRATION:

“Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.”

Benard Edinger

If ever there was an individual in the Bible who exemplified “living within the will of God,” that person is Daniel. As some Biblical historians explain, Daniel and his three Hebrew companions were actually taken hostage by Babylonian warriors, captives of a foreign nation.

Instructed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar to only bring back to his palace the best and brightest that Israel had to offer – Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were identified as “children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning knowledge, and understanding Science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1: 4, K.J.V.).

These elite young men were not only considered to be the smartest, but they were also taught by the most learned educators in Babylon. Yet, what I find most interesting is that even with all of Babylon’s “fine learning,” both King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon as well as King Darius of Persia recognized that there was an “excellent spirit” radiating from these “royal hostages.”

We find in Daniel 6: 3 that King Darius of Persia preferred Daniel “above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him” (Daniel 6: 3, K.J.V.). I couldn’t let the phrase “excellent spirit” go by without checking to see what the Hebrew meaning was. The word “excellent” as used in this passage of Scripture means to “excel” – to have “good sense” as we might convey in modern English. The word “spirit” means, “to breathe or exhale.” In others words, with every breath he took, Daniel exuded excellence and superior reason.

I can just imagine a heavenly glow surrounding Daniel and his friends, because they were in touch daily with the Light of all lights. Those they came in contact with couldn’t help but notice the spirit they exhibited in all they did and said.

After considering the “excellent spirit” that was evident when anyone was in the presence of Daniel, I asked myself this question: “How can I have the same “excellent spirit” in my life that Daniel and his friends had in their lives?”

Author John Maxwell, in his book Be All You Can Be, gives us insight into the development of an “excellent spirit” when he notes that in Psalm 37: 4, in the words of David, we are instructed to “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.” As Maxwell observes, “”Delight comes before desire. What I delight in determines what I desire. If I delight in God, my desire will be to do things according to His will and to ask according to His will.” But then Maxwell lays out this contrasting point which can apply directly to the daily choices we all make in our own lives: “Too often we try to make this principle work in reverse; and we lack desire because our delight is not great enough.”

From the moment Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, their focus and delight was on the God of heaven and earth. Not once did they swerve from the service of their God. In all they did, their goal was to properly represent Him in every action of their life and with every breath they took. Their will was so enmeshed within the will of God that the radiance of heaven totally permeated their lives and radiated out to everyone they met.

Author Philip Yancey expands upon this thought by stating that if you and I start “with the mind and will of God, viewing the rest of (our) life from that point of view, other details will fall into place.”

If you and I delight in the Lord, daily making His service our cause, we too will be able to be confident that indeed, we are walking within the will and way of our Father. What’s more, we too will illuminate to those around us a knowledge and understanding that sends beams of heaven’s “excellent spirit.” May the beautiful prayer of Pére Grou be ours today and always: “O my Master, teach me to hold myself in silence before You, to adore You in the depths of my being, to wait upon You always and never to ask anything of You but the fulfillment of Your will. Teach me to let You act in my soul, and form in it the simple prayer that says little but includes everything. Grant me this favor for the glory of Your name.”

“I ask You, Lord, please demolish anything in my life that isn’t according to Your specifications or that doesn’t merit Your crowning seal of approval.”

Dick Eastman and
Jack Hayford

AFFIRMATION:

“The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”

Author Unknown

“I place my hands in Yours Lord
I place my hands in Yours

I place my will in Yours Lord
I place my will in Yours

I place my days in Yours Lord
I place my days in Yours

I place my thoughts in Yours Lord
I place my thoughts in Yours

I place my heart in Yours Lord
I place my heart in Yours

I place my life in Yours Lord
I place my life in Yours.”

David Adams

“Take my will, and make it Thine
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine alone;
It shall be Thy royal throne.”

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